Incubus
by jimalim320
Summary: The missing scene between 2x05 and 2x06 Cheryl spends the night at Veronica's place following Nick St. Clair's attempted rape of a drugged Cheryl, includes morning after. *Trigger Warning: mentions of rape, sexual assault, and suicide.


**A/N: Hello! So I got a few requests on tumblr for Cheronica drabbles, all of which I felt could be combined into a single one-shot since they all had to deal with the same event/happened in the same time period. I intended to write about this evening anyway, but these prompts really helped provide much more insight to the scene. Because this chapter recounts serious topics I do ask you proceed with caution if you feel at risk of being triggered. Hope you enjoy this piece!**

"I'll keep you posted." Veronica assures as she sees Josie out of her bedroom. She's the last one to leave, everyone else checking out after a few minutes, not wanting to encroach on Cheryl's recovery process. Josie stayed for hours, and would've stayed longer if it weren't for her mother and the less than happy text she sent reminding Josie of her curfew. Veronica promised to take care of Cheryl, and assured her that she could handle it, even if she may have been trying to assure herself more than Josie.

"Thanks." Josie whispers as she leans forward enveloping Veronica in a hug, complete with an air kiss, before turning to see herself out.

Veronica closes the door softly behind her, before making her way back over to her bed where a sniffling Cheryl was still sitting in the middle. "Do want anything to eat, drink?"

She shakes her head no, the glass of water on the nightstand still half full, "I'm fine."

Veronica grabs a pair of blue, silk pajamas out of her dresser and offers them to the girl in her bed. "You can change in here if you want, or the bathroom's down the hall to the right." It's the second time Cheryl has ever been to the Pembroke, but this time she's spending the night. Last time they stayed in the foyer by the fireplace, Cheryl not leaving that spot until she left the apartment altogether. She never should have let her leave in the first place.

Cheryl tried to leave this time, but Veronica wouldn't let her _("I'm not leaving you alone again, not while you're hurting."_ ) She knew she fucked up before, leaving Cheryl after she attempted suicide. It's a fact Veronica beats herself up over every day. Perhaps that's why she quite _LITTERALLY_ beat up Nick upon finding him hovering over Cheryl's unconscious body, once again feeling responsible for something bad happening to Cheryl.

The redhead silently got up and made her way to the bathroom, pajamas in hand. While she was gone Veronica got the bed ready to sleep in, and changed into pajamas herself. Cheryl reenters the room a few minutes later, beelining it to the bed.

She takes the side closest to the window, unaware that's where veronica usually sleeps. Veronica doesn't mind though as she slips in to the unoccupied side of the bed. She lays there on her side, staring at Cheryl's back, unsure of what to do or say now. How does she go about comforting someone she's barely friends with, especially over something as serious as attempted rape?

"I'm sorry." Veronica whispers, at a loss for anything else to say. It's a blanket apology. Sorry this happened, sorry I brought Nick into your life, Sorry I didn't stop it sooner, sorry I don't know what I'm doing. It's all she can manage, it's all she feels.

She expects Cheryl to remain silent, maybe cry some more, what she doesn't expect is for Cheryl to roll back just enough to find Veronica's arm, slinging it over her waist, silently asking her to hold her. The move is almost enough to bring tears to Veronica's eyes. She scoots closer, wrapping her arm around her tighter. She's never been the big spoon before, but she kinda likes it.

It's silent for a while until she hears the soft sighs of a crying Cheryl. Veronica's heart breaks at this, feeling Cheryl's pain as her own. She squeezes the redhead tighter to her chest, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. "Let it all out."  
"I'm right here."  
"I've got you."  
She almost thinks this makes things worse, as Cheryl's sobs grow louder upon hearing such things. Little does she know, Cheryl's just crying harder because she's glad she's finally not alone.

At some point, between the ragged breaths and tight squeezes, they fall asleep. Cheryl is the first to succumb, the exhaustion finally catching up to her. Her heart rate slows, and her breathing becomes regular, that's when Veronica knows she's ok and she can let herself calm down enough to welcome sleep as well.

It doesn't last long, the comfort of rest. Veronica is torn from her slumber by the thrashing redhead in her arms. Cheryl, obviously having a nightmare rolls wildly in her sleep, desperately trying to escape from Veronica's embrace.

Veronica wants to release the girl, but is afraid she'll fall off the bed if she does. Instead she holds her closer, speaking calmly, hoping to break through to Cheryl's subconscious "Cher. Sweetie, it's just me, Veronica, I'm right here. You're safe." She repeats herself over and over, Cheryl's outburst slowing with each passing phrase. It's not the first time she's helped Cheryl deal with a nightmare. When she spent the night at Thornhill the night before Jason's funeral, Cheryl had a very similar reaction, less violent, but still very powerful. She had no idea what to do back then. Isn't there a rule about not waking a sleeping body in situations like that? Or was that about sleepwalkers? She didn't know, and she didn't care. All that mattered to her then, as it does now, was making Cheryl feel better. She stroked her face then, hoping the gentle careless would be enough to calm her. It did.

Upon remembering this, Veronica did the same thing as before. Running the side of her thumb across Cheryl's cheek and her fingers curl under her chin. She whispers again, "Cheryl, you're safe. I'm right here."

Cheryl's face finally visibly softens, and Veronica lets out a sigh of relief. She doesn't wake up, but that's ok, as long as she no longer looks to be in turmoil. Veronica rests on her back pulling Cheryl over with her as best she can, to have her head rest upon her shoulder. Cheryl, even in her sleep, instinctively wraps an arm around Veronica's waist. Veronica traces soft patterns along Cheryl's back, her rhythm smooth and steady.

Cheryl has another nightmare a couple hours later, this time waking her up instantly. She shoots up in bed, waking Veronica in the process. She pulls her knees to her chest, hugging them tight. The tears once again begin to fall, violent sobs racking her body.

When Veronica sits up next to Cheryl to place, what she intends to be a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder, Cheryl vigorously shakes it away, jumping off the bed in the process. Veronica sits up on her knees calling out after the girl, "Cheryl-"

"Don't touch me!" Cheryl doesn't even turn around. The spite in her voice is palpable. She begins to pace, arms crossed tightly around her chest, head hung low. She's closing herself off physically and mentally, not paying any mind to Veronica's soft pleading. She just needs to feel, to process.

She's reminded of her assault every time she closes her eyes. Visions of Nick St. Clair burned into the back of her eyelids. While the memories are foggy, due to the drugs in her system at the time, she can still feel his overbearing presence crushing around her. She can still smell the suffocating scent of his fancy $300 cologne. She's felt sick to her stomach every passing second since.

Even when she's asleep, she sees him. Her mind running wild with images of things that could have been, _WOULD_ have been had Veronica and the Pussycats hadn't saved her.

She remembers coming to, head cradled on Josie's lap, fingers running through her hair, with Veronica gently stroking her arm. Their faces were sullen, a telltale sign something was wrong.

When they filled her in on what happened she got physically sick, emptying the contents of her stomach moments later in the room's on suite. They were still at the hotel.

Veronica held her hair back as she leaned over the cold porcelain, Josie not too far away with a glass of water at the ready.

They bragged about giving Nick 'what was coming to him' as Josie put it, explaining in detail how Veronica threw the first punch which lead to a beaten and bloodied Nick St. Clair lying unconscious on the floor. He came to and ran away in terror long before Cheryl awoke.

Veronica was humble about what she did, brushing it off like it was no big deal. It was clear to Cheryl in that moment, that Veronica was conflicted about how she was the reason Nick even had access to her in the first place. She made sure to let her know regardless, she saved her, and that's all that mattered. Veronica didn't seem to buy it, but smiled anyway.

Cheryl relived every moment since Nick's arrival in Riverdale, or the ones she could remember, over and over again, looking for the moment. The moment every victim searches for: where did _I_ screw up? How did _I_ l _et_ this happen? What did _I_ _do_ wrong?

It was a familiar process. One she practiced any time her mother verbally assaulted her, and on the rare yet still too often occasions she'd lay a hand on her. She'd Look for the reason she deserved to be treated that way. And in this instance, she knew accepting the drink, which ultimately led to the predicament was the _catalyst_ , but she blamed herself for the moment she first introduced herself to the boy. _SHE_ inserted herself into the equation. It was her doing.

The decision to go after Nick in court was all her idea, something she blurted out spur of the moment before they all decided to leave the Pembroke. The secret pow wow between all the kids mixed up in this never-ending cycle of drama and teenage angst led to an hour long rehashing of the evenings events, something Cheryl wasn't entirely comfortable with at the time. But after being an idle listener, absorbing all the ranting and shaming each of them spewed about the vileness if Nicks actions, she came to the conclusion that _HE_ was at fault. _HE_ drugged her, _HE_ tried to rape her, _HE_ was of conscious and sound mind, _HE KNEW_ what he was doing. He deserved to pay for his actions.

After everyone left, and it was just her and Veronica, and all Cheryl wanted to do was get some rest. She was tired of talking, of crying, she just wanted the comfort of a soft warm bed, and Veronica's caring embrace.

The nightmares started almost instantly. The flashes of Nick's hands groping fair white skin running through her mind like a montage, a squeeze here, a kiss there, each and every touch more invasive and inappropriate than the last. It all felt so real, so visceral.

The onslaught of visions slowed for a moment, the calm before the storm. Jarring realistic scenarios creeping their way back into the foreground after a moment of solace. That moment being the time Veronica held her close, whispering in her ear. The last thing she remembers seeing, and feeling before being ripped from the realm of the unconscious, was the binding restraint of her body sinking into the bed due to the weight of _his_ body pressing upon her own. She felt like she was being swallowed, crushed underneath an immovable amount of pressure. The bed closing in around her, until nothing remained except the deafening silence of a black void.

The moment fresh damp air fills her lungs, and the soft glow of a streetlight, streaming in through the window, meets her eyes, Cheryl succumbs to tears. Relieved to be awake, yet full of despondency.

The feeling of a hand, Veronica's hand, on her shoulder without notice, is enough to spark the fight or flight response within her.

"Don't touch me." She repeats, with less malice this time. She knows Veronica means well, but it's all too much right now. She stops in her tracks, sinking onto the floor. Her face wet with tears, and chest covered in beads of sweat, she shivers. Once again, she pulls her knees to her chest, more for warmth than comfort this time.

Veronica moves to sit cross-legged best the end of the bed, so she can see Cheryl. She gently tosses a throw blanket to the girl on the floor, who accepts it silently, draping it around her shoulders.

They sit in silence for a long time. Veronica cautiously watching a torpid Cheryl. She's not sure how much time has passed when Cheryl speaks again, but she would've sat there all night if she had to.

"I'm sorry. You're just trying to help..." Cheryl trails off, slowly raising her head to look at her self-assigned caregiver. "I'm not used to people actively being there for me." It's a sad confession, but it's true nonetheless. Since Jason's death, she's been all alone in this life, her parents not caring about their only remaining child, not like they ever cared before his death to begin with. She's never had a proper support system, even the people she called 'friends' weren't there for her when it mattered. Perhaps that's why she's here, in the bedroom of her biggest rival. Aside from Josie, she wasn't actually friends with any of the other kids who gathered here tonight.

Veronica fights the urge to get up and hug the girl tightly in her arms, remaining in her perched position on the bed. "Just let me know how I can help you."

"I don't know." Cheryl sighs, hanging her head in defeat. Veronica nods her head, chewing on the inside of her cheek. After a moment of contemplation, she asks, "is the floor comfy or would you like to join me up here?" She pats the empty space next to her while flashing Cheryl a teasing smirk.

Cheryl looks up and sports the closest thing Veronica's seen to a smile since before everything that's happened. Her lips are straight besides the slight upturn of the right corner. Her brows shift so the left is above the right ever so slightly. Even her eyes shine with a more optimistic reflection than before. It's all very subtle, but it's enough for Veronica to consider a win.

The redhead silently rises from the floor, taking a seat next to Veronica on the bed. There's about two inches of space between them, and Veronica doesn't dare touch her again without permission.

"Can we watch a movie?" Cheryl asks, not wanting to fall asleep and relive any more nightmares.

Veronica notices the time, it's around 2 am. It's so late, but she doesn't object, anything Cheryl wants, she'll happily do. "Is it cool if we use my laptop? My tv's too loud, don't want to wake my parents."

"Sure." Cheryl agrees, moving back to lean against the headboard. Veronica gets up to retrieve her laptop from the desk across the room. When she sits down next to Cheryl she's nervous to get too close, so she makes sure to leave a bit of space between them. She pulls up Netflix and hands the computer to Cheryl, allowing her to choose the title. She picks a lighthearted comedy from the early 2000s, a staple chick flick, something that you don't have to pay much attention to to understand what's going on, a perfect distraction, and hands the laptop back to its owner.

Moments after Veronica places the computer on her lap, positioning the screen just right so they both get a good view without any green glare, Cheryl places her head on Veronica's shoulder. It's a small gesture, but it's reassuring to Veronica that she initiated physical contact, after the way she reacted to Veronica's last attempt to do the same.

"How's it like having your father home?" Cheryl asks, eyes still focused on the screen, but Veronica can tell her attention is on her, waiting for an answer. The question catches Veronica off guard, since when does Cheryl take interest in her personal life?

"It's different." Veronica settles on the word, not exactly understanding her feelings about their changed family dynamic after learning about the kind of man her father really is. She feels like she should leave it at that, but Cheryl chimes in with another question. "Is it hard?"

Veronica's confused by that inquiry. Cheryl must sense this as she continues, clarifying, "knowing the man you once thought the world of, was a lie. My father's dead, but I couldn't imagine having to deal with that struggle while living with him."

In that moment the realization dawns on Veronica that Cheryl and her had much more in common than she ever thought before. Perhaps they could use this common ground to bond and put whatever bad blood between them _BEHIND_ them once and for all. "It's been confusing to say the least. It's like I love him because he's my father, and he's always been there for me, protected me. But now I'm conflicted because I've learned how he's treated others and it's so completely opposite of the man _I_ know." She expects Cheryl to remain silent, to nod in acknowledgement and turn back to the movie. What she does do however, shocks her.

Cheryl removes her head from its resting place on Veronica's shoulder, looks at her dolefully for a moment before she leans forward, and places a soft kiss to her cheek. She returns her head to its previous position. "I'm sorry. I wish he could be better for you, and others."

It's such a sweet response, something Veronica never would have expected coming from the resident head bitch of Riverdale High. All she can say in response is a flabbergasted "thanks."

Cheryl reaches over to take Veronica's hand in her own, not saying anything about it, instead just shifting closer into Veronica to get more comfortable. The move makes Veronica lightly laugh to herself. "Who knew Cheryl Blossom had such a soft side."

The girl in question laughs as well. It's like music to Veronica's ears, hearing her laugh after an  
Evening of crying. Veronica rests her head lightly atop Cheryl's, turning her attention to the screen in front of them, happy that what started out as such a tragic and sad evening seems to have taken a turn for the better.

They make it through one and a half movies before falling asleep, or at least Veronica does. Cheryl fell asleep almost immediately after picking the second movie. When Veronica notices the change in Cheryl's breathing, indicating this was the case, she gently maneuvers her so she's now laying on her side, head on the pillow. Veronica tries to finish the movie, but once she finds herself dosing off, she puts the laptop away and joins Cheryl under the covers.

Cheryl makes it through the rest of the night without any severe nightmares, however not totally devoid of the images of Nick St. Clair haunting her dreams. I'm fact, she doesn't wake up again until the sound door to Veronica's room opens. The figure of an unfamiliar man enters the doorframe, much to Cheryl's surprise, she's startled by his presence. She sits upright in bed pulling the covers up with her, as if she had something to hide.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Hiram Lodge says from across the room, he adverts his gaze. "You must be Miss Blossom. Nice to meet you."

Cheryl's sudden movements and the sound of her father's voice combined are enough to wake Veronica who sits up next to Cheryl, "Daddy. What are you doing?"

"Sorry cariño," he leans into the room a bit, "I just wanted to let you know your mother ordered breakfast pastries from that little bakery outside town, your favorite." His smile is wide, certainly a charming man, and if Cheryl didn't know any better she'd probably think nothing of it, but his front doesn't hold up when you know the truth. She wonders how Veronica can stand to look at him every day.

"Thank you, we'll be right out." Veronica responds referring to her and her guest. Hiram nods and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Once the door is closed Veronica falls back on her bed in a huff. "Sorry about that. Not exactly how I wanted you to meet him."

Cheryl turns to look down at the girl behind her, "you never told me he was hot. Might just dethrone Mr. Andrews for DILFyest dad in Riverdale." Laughing lightly.

"Oh my god!" Veronica exclaims I'm disgust, hitting Cheryl with her pillow.

"What? It's true!" She laughs harder now, and for a second she forgot the reason she was even here in the first place. The idea of them just being friends having a casual girls' night actually seemed like a plausible scenario.

The moment is short lived as the laugher dies down, leaving Cheryl to face the cold reality. "I uh, I think I'm gonna skip breakfast."

"What? Why?" Veronica asks conceded in Cheryl's quick change of demeanor.

"I can't go out there and face your parents, heaven forbid they mention the St. Clair's'." She's beginning to retreat back into herself.

Veronica reaches out tentatively to grab her shoulder, much like last night, thankfully this time Cheryl didn't recoil from her touch. "Do you still want to press charges?"

Cheryl is quiet for a moment, almost as if contemplating the pros and cons. After a beat, she replies whole heartedly, "Absolutely." The conviction in her voice is enough to ensure Veronica she wasn't backing out.

Veronica grabs her phone from the nightstand, handing it over to the redhead who was still sitting on the bed. "Call Keller. I'll be right here with you." She encourages as she sits down next to Cheryl taking her free hand on her own.

Cheryl hesitates for a moment, once again weighing the options before she takes the plunge. Veronica begins to doubt her straightforwardness. Maybe Cheryl wasn't ready, she can't force her into doing something she's not comfortable with. She also shouldn't let her anger and wish for revenge to pressure Cheryl into being the martyr.

Before she has a chance to tell Cheryl it's ok and she didn't have to do this, she gets torn from her thoughts by Cheryl's reserved yet steady voice.

"Yes, Sheriff Keller. It's Cheryl Blossom. I'd like to report an attempted sexual assault…."


End file.
